success in the game of golf is a function of a player's accuracy, judgment, and strength. To ensure fairness, the United States Golf Association (USGA) (as well as similar organizations) serves as a regulatory body governing the play, and equipment used in the play, of professional golf.
The USGA specifically sets forth rules limiting the ability of a golf club to transfer power to a golf ball, thereby limiting any advantage a golfer may seek over a competitor by equipment alone. This is generally accomplished by use of characteristic time (CT) measurement of the face of the club head. Characteristic time, for all purposes herein, refers to characteristic time as laid out, defined, and indicated as measured in the United States Golf Association's PROCEDURE FOR MEASURING THE FLEXIBILITY OF A GOLF CLUBHEAD, Rev. 1.0.0 (May 1, 2008).
However, golfers, particularly those with higher handicaps, tend not to impact golf balls, in the course of play, in a single location nor in the precise location desired by the golfer. Instead, throughout the course of play, ball impacts may occur at various locations of the striking face. In consideration of this, CT value, alone, may not be an accurate representation of the overall performance of the club head, particularly as handicap increases. Thus, a need exists for an accurate method of measuring the performance potential of a golf club head.